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Sao Tome: Gulf of Guinea is new epicentre of maritime piracy – minister
By LUSA

August 2, 2022
MNA International

Sao Tome and Principe’s minister of national defence, Jorge Amado, has said that the Gulf of Guinea region is currently “a new epicentre of maritime piracy”.

The minister, who was speaking at the opening ceremony of a five-day training course to combat maritime crime, stressed the importance of concerted cooperation of the states in the region to combat organised crime.

“The economic consequences are serious for the nations and partners involved, especially those dependent on maritime trade. A strong and concrete and holistic response from the international community and countries in the region is needed,” because, he stressed, “criminals know how to take advantage of the lack of cooperation between member states.”

“Sao Tome and Principe has an extensive Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of about 160,000 square kilometres, which represents 160 times its land area. It is the main national asset, which is under-exploited and whose use should be boosted,” he said.

Organised crime and maritime piracy “imply the definition of a specific policy, the adoption of a principle of international cooperation,” Jorge Amado said, stressing that this “requires Sao Tome and Principe to urgently implement a national strategy for the sea, in order to respond to international challenges”.

“This strategy is geared towards boosting the economy, enhancing and preserving national heritage and is also a vehicle to affirm the country as a regional reference in the governance of sea affairs,” he stressed.

The United Nations coordinator in Sao Tome and Principe, Eric Overvest, stressed in his speech that “in an increasingly polarised world, the fight against organised crime and corruption is becoming more and more important, as it is the gangrene of the democratic system”.

In this sense, he said he hoped that Sao Tome and Principe would “redouble its efforts to ensure transparency in public finances, supervision of financial transactions and funding to political parties and elections” and highlighted the period leading up to the September elections, in which a new parliament will be elected.

The five-day training course, organised by the UN Regional Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC, in its acronym in English) for West and Central Africa covers participants from 14 São Toméan institutions and ministries, including armed forces and police and public prosecutors, is made under the European Union-funded Programme in Support of the Maritime Safety and Security Strategy in Central Africa (Passmar, in its acronym in English).

This programme started in March 2014.

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